


We're Not Made For This World

by mdog0805



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Cheating, F/M, Idea for Riverdale prom and graduation episode, barchie obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24299833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mdog0805/pseuds/mdog0805
Summary: Barchie = Angst.I don't make the rules :)
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 6
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment if you want me to continue this, because I'm feeling very unmotivated.

“So, are you going to play your song at prom tonight?”

Archie nearly chokes on his toast. 

“Uh – I don’t – I don’t think so.” He stammers, swallowing nervously. He _really_ doesn’t want to talk about the whole Betty situation, especially with his mother.

_You only have one parent left. Don’t push her away._

The thought niggles at his brain.

“I didn’t write it for Veronica.” He admits painfully, frowning down at his plate. Mary’s eyebrows draw together in confusion, and she tilts her head at him, waiting for an elaboration. When he doesn’t offer any more information, instead choosing to stare intently at his food, she stands up silently. He can practically hear the gears turning in her brain, as she gives her empty plate a quick rinse. She’s confused, but she doesn’t pressure him to tell her anything, and he’s grateful.

She flicks the tap off, stacking the plate on the growing pile next to the sink, and suddenly it dawns on her.

“It’s Betty.” She comments simply. It’s not even a question. Archie looks up, surprised. He can’t believe it only took her a couple of minutes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Mary questions softly, lowering herself back down to the table, her caramel eyes drawing him in.

He doesn’t. Even just _looking_ at Betty makes his throat squeeze.

He tries not to think about her, because if he does, all he can remember is how his heart broke into tiny pieces when she told him they were over, before they were even started. All he can remember is how she beautiful she looked, baby blue eyes glistening, blonde curls pulled up neatly into a ponytail, not a strand of hair out of place, pink sweater clinging to her womanly figure.

He doesn’t know if he can stomach talking about her.

But without any warning or hesitation, his mouth starts moving for his brain, and he’s telling Mary about everything, their kiss, his song, their meetings in the bunker, _everything_.

She doesn’t interrupt, just listens, like her ears are glued to his voice.

“You should play your song tonight.” She finally proposes, once he’s finished.

“Yeah?” He says doubtfully, watching her closely.

“If you father were here… he’d tell you to follow your heart. And I think you’d be following your heart if you played at prom.”

The words hit him hard in the chest, his heart clenching at the memory of his father, because that’s all he is now. A memory, floating distantly through Archie’s mind.

Archie wants to make his father proud, even from his grave. He just doesn’t know how.

“You don’t think I’m a horrible person?” He asks, trying to sound nonchalant, but secretly his conscious waits breathlessly for her response.

The guilt of the situation cripples him all the time. He’s supposed to be Veronica’s boyfriend. He’s supposed to love her, want to be with her, _not cheat on her_. He’s failed at all three, and yet he’s still with her.

He’s also supposed to be Jughead’s best friend. And he pretends to be, even though best friend’s don’t kiss each other’s girlfriends, or want to be with them, or think about them in x rated ways.

“Oh Archie.” Mary’s voice pulls him back into the present. “You are not a horrible person. You’re just finding your way in the world. Sometimes people make mistakes. We learn from them, grow from them.”

“You are not a horrible person.” She repeats firmly, at the disbelieving look settled heavily on his face. He wants to cry. He hasn’t cried in front of his parents since he was a little boy, but the sadness swelling in his chest is almost overbearing. He swallows it thickly, more for his sake than his mother’s. He doesn’t trust himself to speak, lest the storm inside him erupts.

“But Archie – think about Veronica. Are you really going to keep stringing her along?” Mary asks, choosing her words carefully.

Archie shakes his head. He knows he has to break up with her. It’s not fair of him to stay with her, when he’s completely besotted over someone else. Their awaiting breakup isn’t a question.

But when to do it? It plays heavily on his mind. Should he let Veronica have her dream prom before breaking her heart? Should he wait until graduation to make a clean split? Should he just end it this morning, before she can hate him even more?

Mary somehow seems to tell what he is thinking.

“After prom.” She comments quickly, as her phone starts buzzing, and she reaches for it. Archie nods, and then pushes himself up from the table.

“Brooke, hi!” Mary exclaims, watching Archie stride up the stairs.

Archie collapses on his bed, running a hand through his hair. Veronica’s picture glares at him from his desk.

 _I do love her,_ he thinks.

_But I’m in love with Betty._

_****_

Betty stares at herself in the mirror.

The dress is stunning – a pale pink, hugging her figure perfectly, flowing at her feet.

Her blonde curls bounce casually on her shoulders, and her ocean eyes appreciate the flawless makeup she’s somehow managed to execute.

She’s supposed to be excited. She’s supposed to look forward to her senior prom. She’s supposed to be _happy_. Instead all she feels is empty.

“Elizabeth?” Alice’s voice pulsates through the room, and Betty steps away from the mirror, turning to her.

“You look beautiful.” Alice exclaims, scanning her over and smiling.

“Thanks, mom.” Betty replies, wishing she could feel normal. Feel okay. Feel _something_.

“You’re so grown up.” Alice says emotionally, tearing up. Betty walks forward, embracing Alice in a tight hug. She breathes in her mother’s soapy scent, and to her shock, feels salty tears welling up in her own eyes. Alice clings on to her desperately, and for once, Betty lets her.

“Has Jughead seen you?” Alice asks, pulling away and hastily wiping away the tear rolling down her cheek. Betty feels a stab at the mention of his name. It’s a stab of pain and guilt, and it hurts her heart. She shakes her head.

“He’s been working on the tapes all afternoon.” She explains, struggling to keep the bitterness out of her tone and rolling her eyes.

Alice frowns at this weird behavior.

“Is there something you want to talk to me about, Betty?” She questions accusingly, narrowing her eyes. Betty hesitates.

She _really_ doesn’t want to talk about the whole Jughead and Archie situation, especially with her mother.

But she has to admit it would be nice to take some of the weight off her shoulders, to have someone to give her advice and support her.

The words bubble in her throat, but she quickly swallows them, burying them with all her other unresolved feelings and issues. So to answer Alice’s question, she just shakes her head again.

“Hmm.” Alice says suspiciously, but she doesn’t inquire any further, instead admiring Betty one more time and leaving the room. Betty’s eyes are drawn to the pictures pinned to the board above her desk, and she perches stiffly on the edge of her bed, staring at them. The first picture is of her and Jughead at the homecoming dance, standing a metre away from each other, forcing a smile at the camera. The second one is her and Archie, heads right next to each other, laughing brightly.

There’s a familiar tug on her stomach, which happens every time she even _looks_ at Archie.

She tries not to think about him, because if she does, all she remembers is breaking her own heart when she told him they were over, before they had even started. All she remembers is wanting to kiss him so badly, as he towered over her, looking so beautiful in the candlelight with his strong muscles and red hair falling casually in his caramel eyes, knowing she couldn’t.

She loves Jughead, she does. He chose her when Archie wouldn’t, and after all they’ve been through together, she can’t not love him. But...

She knew Cheryl was wrong about her only being in love with the _idea_ of Archie after she’d ended it. In that moment, everything was so real, so _alive_.

You can’t only be in love with the _idea_ of someone if you long for them, miss them, feel safe with them, feel happy with them, _want_ them.

Those are genuine, burning flames of feelings that send your heart into flutters and cause your stomach to twist in nervous knots.

She didn’t kiss Archie because she was in love with the _idea_ of him.

But she loves Jughead. And he loves Veronica.

Archie was the only thing Jughead was ever insecure about in their relationship, and that’s why she can’t tell him about their kiss in Archie’s garage. It would destroy him, and if he knew, Veronica would find out, and then it would destroy her too, and then Betty would lose her best friend and boyfriend all in a matter of seconds.

No matter what she feels for Archie, she’s determined not to lose Jughead and Veronica. Even if that means lying to them and herself.

She stands abruptly, brushing off her dress and recollecting her composure, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Archie.

He stands at the window, looking way too handsome in his tux, red hair smoothed down. He gives her a small smile, and she returns it.

Her entire childhood, she always thought Archie would be her date to the prom, not Jughead.

Maybe a big part of her still wishes that.


	2. Chapter 2

Archie sits on the cracked concrete steps leading up to the back of the gymnasium, the crisp wind ruffling his carefully combed hair. He’s not really sure why he’s there, staring blankly into the night. But it’s peaceful and quiet, even with the loud music and chatter of prom throbbing through the gym walls.

He had told Veronica that he had to grab his guitar and get ready for his performance, and she had dismissed him without a second thought, apparently not finding it suspicious or strange that he hadn’t told her or anyone else that he was playing.

Truthfully, he still had plenty of time before he had to be onstage. But he was finding it increasingly hard as the night progressed to get a grip on his emotions, especially when he had accidentally glanced at Betty and Jughead dancing, and all he wanted to do was pummel Jughead, _his best friend_ , through the floor.

So he fed Veronica an excuse and stepped outside.

He frowns at his hands, and his thoughts drift to Betty, like they always do. She had looked so incredibly gorgeous when he saw her out of his window, two layers of glass not thick enough to hide her sheer, effortless beauty. 

He sighs.

“You okay?” 

For some reason, Betty’s gentle voice doesn’t startle him.

“Yeah.” He replies flatly, refusing to look at her. He doesn’t need to be reminded again of how stunning she is, and how he can’t have her.

She carefully lowers herself down next to him, and thankfully, she doesn’t look at him either. They both just stare straight ahead.

“Jughead left.” She admits, sounding pained. “Charles made a major breakthrough in the tapes, and I couldn’t persuade him to stay.”

“I’m sorry.” He says, and he is. He can’t fathom why Jughead always puts mysteries and detective work ahead of his life. Ahead of his relationships. Ahead of _Betty_.

They sit in silence for a couple of minutes, before Betty decides to break the ice.

“So, are you going to tell me what you’re doing out here?” She asks softly, finally turning her head to look at him.

He doesn’t look back. He can’t. If he does, he’s not sure what will happen. 

“I just needed some air. It’s crowded in there.” He lies, his heart rate quickening. She’s always been able to tell when he’s lying.

But she doesn’t say anything this time. Instead she rises quickly, casting him a regretful look, and then wandering back inside without another word. He almost follows her.

But when he glances at his watch and realizes the time, he curses under his breath.

He sprints to his car, feet pounding against the gravel and chest heaving. Ripping open the backseat door, he grabs his guitar, running until he’s side stage and breathless. He watches Melody finish her performance, and the crowd gives a polite cheer.

Archie feels frozen in place, heart hammering against his chest. Butterflies swim in his stomach, and he swallows. It’s his turn.

He wills his feet to move for him, and they do, dragging him out and forward, so he ends up standing at the microphone. The bright white lights make him blink at first, but then everything comes into focus. Veronica is right up the front, flashing him a dazzling smile, arms still around Reggie from the previous dance. He searches for Betty, and he finds her at the back, shaking her head as Kevin drags her to the dance floor.

“This is an original song I wrote.” He announces into the microphone factually, not daring to look at Veronica or Betty.

He’s scared of how Betty will react.

He’s scared Veronica will think it’s for her.

He’s scared Veronica will figure out it _isn’t_ for her.

He’s scared of singing something that means so much to him in front of the entire senior class, that his emotions will take over.

So he takes a deep breath, imagining his dad encouraging him on, and starts playing.

****

Betty feels like she’s lost Archie. It’s her own fault, she knows.

But when Kevin approaches her, she pushes him to the back of her mind.

“Betty, what are you doing standing here by yourself?” Kevin implores, raising his eyebrows. Betty flashes him a small smile, but she gets distracted when she sees Archie shuffle on stage, looking extremely apprehensive. Kevin follows her gaze.

“I didn’t know he was playing tonight. Come on Betty, let’s dance.” Kevin says, leading her onto the floor, even as she shakes her head.

“This is an original song I wrote.” Archie announces into the microphone, looking at his feet. Betty’s heart speeds up. Surely, surely, it’s not the song he wrote for her. It can’t be.

He starts strumming, and Betty wraps her arms around Kevin. She can’t recognize what the song is yet, but there’s no way he would play her song in front of Veronica, in front of her, in front of everyone. She feels relieved, assured. But then he opens his mouth to start singing, and her world comes crashing down.

_There’s no warning when everything changes_

It is her song.

_You let down your guard and I saw something strange_

And he’s staring straight at her.

_I thought, she’s not made for this world_

He’s singing to her, like they’re alone, like he’s not in front of the whole senior grade and his girlfriend. 

_And neither am I_

And Betty gapes back at him.

_‘Cause you make me wanna be_

She had stopped him there last time, but she can’t do that now.

_Stronger than I am_

The panic must be written all over face, but her eyes stayed glued to Archie, as he gazes at her.

_Maybe I’m reaching_

She doesn’t notice Veronica whipping her head around confusedly, to see what Archie’s looking at. She doesn’t notice the shock on Veronica’s face as she realises he’s looking at Betty.

_Misplacing a feeling_

She doesn’t notice dropping her arms from around Kevin, letting go of him, so they’re standing side by side. She doesn’t notice Kevin catching on, looking between Betty and Archie curiously.

_There’s no way to know but to try_

All she can hear, see, feel, is Archie.

_So give me tonight_

She’s loved him almost her whole life.

_I don’t know much_

She’s still not sure of the ways she loves him, but she knows she loves him.

_But I know this feels right_

It’s always been natural for them, since the first time they saw each other, when they were five years old.

_So give me tonight_

She desperately wishes she could.

_If you carry the torch_

_I’d follow the light_

_I’d follow the light_

He finishes, and there’s a tension filled moment where they just stare at each other, like they’re the only two people in the world.

But it’s too much for Betty.

Biting back tears, she spins on her heel and rushes out, before the tears start flowing. The cold wind stings her eyes, and with awful timing, her phone starts buzzing. She pulls it out of her clutch clumsily, and of course, it’s Jughead. She doesn’t answer, just lets it ring out, even though her heart twists painfully.

 _I do love him_ , she thinks.

 _But I’m in love with Archie_. 

****

Archie returns to his position on the steps outside pretty much immediately after finishing his song. He had watched Betty flee regretfully, but couldn’t find it in himself to go after her. 

“Archie.” Veronica’s clear, cutting voice echoes behind him, and he jumps to his feet, turning to her. She stares at him, and her eyes are so black and deep, they remind him of a bottomless well.

He wishes he could love her the way she deserves.

“Veronica-“ He starts, but she holds up a hand to stop him.

“Just tell me.” She says quietly. “How long?”

There’s no sign of emotion on her face, it’s almost like a blank canvas. Her tone is still, tranquil. But he knows there must be a storm brewing inside, and that scares him. He would rather have her yelling at him, being up in his face, than this creepily calm facade she’s putting on. 

“I don’t know what you’re asking me.” He admits truthfully.

“How long have you been in love with her?” She repeats plainly, like it’s obvious.

Archie feels dumbstruck, and he’s not really sure of the answer. He’s loved her his whole life, but he doesn’t know the exact point that transcended into being _in_ love. 

“How long have you known?” She prompts, her voice steady. It hurts him more than she can realize, his own storm swirling inside his chest mercifully.

He has to be completely honest with her. That’s the only way the rock of guilt anchored in his stomach will ever be set loose.

“I guess I’ve known since she started dating Jughead, but I never could admit it to myself.” He answers, watching a flicker of pain in her eyes.

“Are you sure you want to hear this?” He continues gently.

“Please.” She begs, a slight break in her voice that stabs him in the heart.

“I tried to convince myself I was just jealous of how happy they were together, but deep down I knew that wasn’t the real reason. And then when she kissed me the night of the Black hood, I – I kissed her back, not because I was scared, but because I wanted to.” He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to keep going.

“But I tried to forget it. I mean – sometimes there have been moments between us, that made me question how I feel about her, but I always managed to bury those feelings before they got a hold of me.” Archie pauses, watching tears well up in Veronica’s eyes.

“Ronnie, there’s something else you should know.” He whispers, physically gulping. “Last week, when you and I got in that fight, Betty came over to rehearse, and she and Jughead had just had this huge argument as well, and we were practicing, and we – well, we kissed.”

“You kissed?!” Veronica splutters, in shock. Archie just hangs his head in shame.

“Does Jughead know?” She asks quietly, recovering herself and trying to act unaffected.

“No.” He replies guiltily, and upon seeing the dubious look on his face, she interjects.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him.” She assures disgustedly, shaking her head. “But he’s going to find out somehow, and it had better be from you and Betty.”

They stand there awkwardly, in uncomfortable silence, neither of them knowing quite what to say.

“You know Archiekins, I guess I knew part of you would always belong to her.” Veronica says wistfully, but then her voice turns angry. “But I _never_ thought you’d cheat on me with her, or that she’d willingly participate. When we graduate from this hellhole, I never want to see either of you again.”

With that, she marches off, and Archie knows it could have gone a lot worse. He’s honestly surprised she was so calm, even if it was an act.

He hears a massive round of applause from inside, and he’s pretty sure they’re crowning prom king and queen. He heads back inside, and watches Cheryl and Toni become Riverdale’s first prom queens. Veronica is on the other side of the gym, laughing with Kevin and Reggie like nothing’s wrong, and Betty must have left a while ago.

Archie feels torn. He should stay, enjoy his senior prom. But how can he? He decides to just leave, hopping in his car, and driving home in silence. When he gets home, he’s thankful to find Mary working late, so he doesn’t have to deal with her bombardment of questions. He collapses on his bed, and he realizes he should probably tell Betty about Veronica. He knows he can’t face her, so he opts for a simple text message.

 _Veronica knows_.

Betty takes a few minutes to reply.

_Oh._

_How much does she know?_

Archie glances out his window, but the lights are out in her room.

_All of it._

He waits patiently for her response, and it’s not the one he expected.

_I’m breaking up with Jughead._

The sentence pierces his heart, and he doesn’t know whether he should be happy or sad about it.

_When?_

She replies almost instantly this time.

_After graduation. I’ll tell him about everything._

Archie’s at a loss for words, so he turns his phone off, chucks it on his bedside table, and snuggles into bed, still in his tux. He doesn’t know where this leaves them, but he does know he wants a long, warm sleep.

So he closes his eyes, and dreams of another world, one where he doesn’t reject her or start going out with Veronica, and she doesn’t start a relationship with Jughead, and they live as Riverdale High's power couple.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this is a late update - high school is just so much fun (not). I'm also sorry if this is badly written, I had a severe case of writers block (which I will blame on the mass amount of assessment).

Betty is placed between Jughead and Archie, her blue graduation gown sticking to her legs in the humidity. Her hand accidentally bumps Archie’s, and they both yank away, startled by the electricity. The tingle stays in her fingers, and she can practically feel the body heat radiating off him, bringing a familiar flush to her cheeks.

She takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the anxious thump of her heart and miserable pit in her stomach. Archie shoots her a concerned glance, and it almost makes her melt inside.

God, what is _wrong_ with her? 

She needs a distraction, so she starts searching for people she knows in the crowd. The parents sit quietly up the back, tissues in hand, but everyone else is scattered. Reggie and the football team are a couple of rows behind them, the loud outbursts of laughter and calls making them the victims of several teacher glares. A row ahead of them, on the other side of the aisle, Sweet Pea slumps boredly in his chair, Fangs and Kevin talking animatedly next to him. Betty spots other people, like Melody and Valerie, dispersed through different rows and sides, until she finds the one person she was subconsciously looking for.

With a flick of unmissable raven hair, Veronica holds herself gracefully all the way in the front row, next to Cheryl and Toni and the other vixens. Unfortunately for Betty, Veronica chooses that exact moment to turn around, and their eyes meet awkwardly. Betty doesn’t know what to do, so she just holds Veronica’s tense gaze and scowl.

Jughead doesn’t seem to notice, and if he thinks it’s strange that Veronica has been distant with Betty lately, he doesn’t say anything. He’s perfectly content with believing Veronica just doesn’t want to face Archie after their breakup, which as far he knows, only happened due to their different futures.

“I wish they’d hurry up and get started.” Jughead whispers in Betty’s ear, as Veronica whips back around in her seat. Betty forces a smile at him, and a wave of guilt crashes in her stomach.

She feels horrible. She’s breaking up with him today, and he has no clue. He’ll be devastated, but she knows it’s the right thing to do. She just has to be strong, like Archie was.

_Archie._

He plays on her mind nearly all the time, and truthfully, she doesn’t know what’s going on between them anymore.

As the graduation ceremony passes painfully slowly, Betty feels like she’s almost in a trance. It isn’t until Archie is called on stage that she snaps out of it. She watches as Archie stumbles over people’s legs and feet and walks up the stairs, shaking the Principal’s hand.

No matter what they are now, Betty can’t help but feel so proud of him, and she claps just as hard as Mary when he holds up his certificate to the crowd, smiling bashfully. For a second, she feels alright. For a second, she allows herself to believe that everything will be fine.

But then the second passes, and the screen behind Archie switches to a video of his garage. Betty’s heart constricts in her chest, because a video of them rehearsing for the Variety Night Show is now playing for everyone to see. Archie notices the shift in atmosphere, his face contorting in confusion, and he turns to see what everyone is looking at.

Betty knows what comes next in the tape, but somehow, it still shocks her when she sees herself collide with Archie passionately, her hands wrapping around his neck, and him gripping her waist tightly.

After the video cuts out, going blank, she slowly turns to look at Jughead. She tries to remember how to breathe, but it keeps getting caught in her throat. She gulps.

He doesn’t just look angry. He looks _livid._

****

Archie stands by himself at the graduation lunch awkwardly. He still feels shell shocked from what happened only an hour ago. One minute he was receiving his diploma of high school education, the next Betty and him were making out on screen. He only got a brief glimpse of Jughead’s furious face before he was storming off, Betty close on his heels. He hasn’t heard from them since.

“This might make you feel better.” Mary says kindly, offering him a drink. He takes it gratefully, wondering how things went so wrong for him. Mary eyes him in that signature parent way.

“Are you okay?” She asks, gently touching his arm. “It’s okay not to be.”

“I’m just a little shocked.” Archie confesses.

“I thought I had at least another couple of hours before Jughead would hate me forever.” He tries to joke, but the pain of the situation spills out on the last words, and Mary pulls him into a tight hug.

“He’ll forgive you in time.” Mary declares, rubbing his back soothingly. “In five years, he’ll be happy and busy with his new life, and he’ll look back on this as just a distant memory.”

Archie hopes this is true.

Meanwhile, Reggie, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Kevin, Cheryl, and Toni are huddled in a group only ten metres away from Archie, talking along a similar path.

“I knew it,” Kevin says, shaking his head. “Endgame.”

Everyone murmurs in aggreeance.

“They did seem inevitable.” Reggie agrees, and Cheryl thinks about her previous chat with Betty. She feels a little guilty for convincing Betty she needed to stay with Jughead, when she obviously fell out of love with him a while ago.

 _But,_ Cheryl reasons to herself, _All I knew was that she was reminiscing about childhood memories and fantasies, so what I said made perfect sense according to what was presented to me. If I knew about the kiss and their feelings, I would have advised her differently._

She thinks about everything that has happened between Betty and Archie, and she finally realizes something she hadn’t before.

“I guess they always were destined for each other.” Cheryl admits, surprising Toni.

“I thought you said Bughead was endgame.” Toni argues amusedly, raising her eyebrows. Cheryl shrugs.

“Well, TT, that was because I didn’t know the whole story with Betty and Archie. And now I can safely say, I was wrong about Bughead.”

“Although I do think I deserve some credit for saying Veronica and Archie would never outlast high school.” She adds cheekily, winking at Toni, who laughs.

“Poor Veronica.” Fangs muses sadly. “Do you think she knew about the kiss?”

Veronica had gone home as soon as graduation finished, not even bothering to stay for the lunch. Cheryl and Toni were just waiting until it was over, and then they were going to go and check on her. They had actually become pretty close in the last week.

“Of course she did.” Sweet Pea scoffs, like that’s the stupidest comment ever. “She didn’t look surprised at all.”

“She could have been putting on a brave face.” Kevin contends.

Cheryl and Toni exchange a meaningful glance.

“She did, as a matter of fact.” Cheryl responds stiffly. “And if she feels comfortable telling you anymore, she will.”

With that, the conversation ceases, and moves onto a new subject.

****

“Jug! Please, just let me explain!” Betty sobs, reaching for him. She’s chased him all the way from school to the Cooper house, and in the moment he paused to open the door, she finally caught up.

“Explain what, Betty?! That you cheated on me? With _Archie_?” Jughead says sarcastically, as she follows him into the living room.

“Jug, _please_ , sit down, and let me explain everything to you.” She orders desperately, almost choking on her words.

“You don’t get to call me that anymore!” He barks, pointing his finger at her. She stares at him, wide eyed, and he concedes, pushing himself down on the couch, and holding his head in his heads.

“Here’s your chance.” He mutters, and Betty takes a deep breath.

“I think a part of me has been in love with Archie for ten years.” She whispers. Jughead looks up, and the hurt in his eyes in unbearable. 

“When he rejected me, I tried to convince myself that that part of me was gone, and I truly believed it, even the night of the Blackhood.”

“It wasn’t until we kissed, after we both got into fights with you and Veronica, that I realized that part of me was still there. I – I didn’t know what to do. And then Cheryl got in my head and I stopped what Archie and I had going.”

“So you did more than kiss.” Jughead assumes bitterly.

“No! We met up in the bunker a couple of times, but we never did anything more than that one kiss, I promise.”

Jughead stands abruptly, and Betty knows he’s going to yell.

“I WAS THE ONE WHO CHOSE YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN! HE REJECTED YOU, AND YET HERE YOU ARE AGAIN, CHOOSING HIM. NOT ONLY DID YOU PHYSICALLY CHEAT ON ME, BUT ALSO EMOTIONALLY, AND I BET YOU NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT ME IN THE PROCESS. I WAS THE ONE WHO LOVED YOU, NOT HIM!” Jughead shouts, and Betty winces. She’s never seen him so angry before. 

“Jughead I did choose you!” She cries, and he shakes his head frantically.

“Answer me honestly, Betty. Were you planning on breaking up with me before we went to college?” He questions, voice still raised, but not exactly screaming.

Betty stutters, and he looks satisfied.

“That’s what I thought. Whoever is sending these tapes just got to me first.” He spits. “You never chose me.”

Betty just lets the tears run down her face.

He jogs up the stairs, and then turns around at the last minute.

“Tell Archie I never want to see either of you again, will you?”

Her face crumples as he thunders to his room. She never meant for him to find out this way. She was supposed to break it to him gently.

****

Betty lies on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, hands clasped over her stomach. It’s the morning after graduation, and the sun filters weakly through her open window.

Betty had to break the news to FP, Alice, and Jellybean when they got home yesterday, as Jughead had refused to come out of his room. FP turned red and immediately went to Jughead, and Jellybean and Alice were surprisingly sympathetic.

She still hasn’t heard from Archie, and she wants to talk to him, but she just feels so tired. Her graduation gown still lies discarded on her bedroom floor, and Betty thinks of the absolute failure her prom and graduation have been.

It’s her fault, she knows, but she can’t help but think about how wonderful they would have been, in other circumstances. Her phone pings, and she springs into a sitting position, startled out of her thoughts. Reaching for her phone, she already knows it’s from Archie.

_We need to talk._

She quickly replies.

_I know. Meet me outside in five?_

His answer, even though expected, sends her heart into flutters.

_I’ll be there._

She hastily pulls on some acceptable clothes, and then makes her way down to the living room. FP and Alice took Jellybean and Jughead out for breakfast, not even bothering to ask her, which Betty is glad about, because she would have refused anyway.

She pulls open the front door, and her breath hitches when she sees him there, hands in his jean pockets, a blue, totally _Archie_ shirt covering his ripped chest, red hair blowing in the wind.

She closes the door, stepping out, and she realizes how they stood in this exact place four years ago.

“Betty, I’m leaving for the Naval Academy in ten minutes.” He blurts out immediately. Betty’s face contorts in shock. _What?_

“And I’m not changing my mind.” He adds, watching her closely.

“I – I don’t know what to say.” She says dumbly, feeling stunned. She didn’t expect to have this sprung on her like this. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

He nods. She can’t believe it. He’s about to leave, just like that, without any warning. She fiddles with her hands nervously. 

“This isn’t goodbye, is it?” She asks, because she has to know. He swallows.

“Only for now.” He responds, taking a couple of steps towards her. “Betty, we’ll get the timing right. I know we will.”

“Arch.” She says, reaching for him, and he embraces her tightly, breathing in her purely _Betty_ smell. She pulls away, and when he notices the tear rolling down her cheek, he brushes it off softly with his finger.

Later, Betty barely remembers hugging him for the last time, waving goodbye and standing with Mary as he left in his taxi. She only remembers what he said.

_We’ll get the timing right. I know we will._


End file.
